1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a robot apparatus and a control method of the robot apparatus, and more particularly, is suitably applicable, for example, to a pet robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
The applicant of the present invention has recently proposed and developed a quadruped walking type pet robot which takes actions in response to a command from a user and dependently on a surrounding environment. Such a pet robot has a form resembling to that of a dog or a cat bred in a general household and autonomously acts dependently on a command from a user or a surrounding environment.
In recent years where rapid progresses have been made in a technology for information communication through telephone networks such as public telephone and portable telephones, internets and communications satellite networks, accurate realtime transmission of various kinds of information is possible by utilizing images and sounds.
It is therefore conceived that an amusement property of a pet robot can be enhanced by incorporating a pet robot with a communicating function which permits external communication through various kinds of information transfer paths such as communications satellite networks so that a user can recognize a state of the pet robot and obtain information useful for the user from the pet robot by utilizing this communicating function.
In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a robot apparatus and a control method for the robot apparatus which can enhance an amusement property.
The foregoing object and other objects of the invention have been achieved by the provision of a robot apparatus which comprises selecting means for selecting a transmission destination and transmitting means for transmitting predetermined information to the transmission destination selected by the selecting means.
As a result, the robot apparatus can remarkably enhance a probability of notification since the robot apparatus selects the transmission destination.
Furthermore, the robot apparatus according to the present invention comprises also information acquiring means for acquiring information of a surrounding environment and/or an internal state and transmitting means for transmitting information acquired by the above described information acquiring means to a predetermined transmission destination. As a result, the robot apparatus is capable of communicating even when the robot apparatus is at a location which is not near the transmission destination.
Furthermore, a control method for robot apparatus according to the present invention is configured by selecting a transmission destination and then transmitting predetermined information to the above described selected transmission destination. As a result, the control method for robot apparatus is capable of remarkably enhancing a probability of notification to the transmission destination since this method has selectivity of the transmission destination.
Furthermore, the control method for robot apparatus according to the present invention is configured by acquiring information of a surrounding environment and/or an internal state and then transmitting the above described information to a predetermined transmission destination. As a result, this control method for robot apparatus allows a robot apparatus to communicate even when the robot apparatus is not near the transmission destination.
The nature, principle and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals or characters.